2. MadMax goes through sports phases as the seasons change, and when he's in one of his phases, we go through it with him. In the winter it's skiing (not snowboarding), in the spring it's track & field, right now it's golf. He got a season pass to our local public course for Christmas, so he's been playing a couple of times a week. And we're watching (avidly) the USOpen, which is in Seattle. Who knew Seattle was a golf town?
3. The most remarkable thing about his annual golf phase is the change in clothing. From third grade on, only under the greatest duress (a wedding, Christmas eve service) has he been willing to wear anything but those long gym shorts and a t-shirt. Suddenly when he got interested in golf, he wanted to go shopping because he needed khaki shorts and polo shirts. I couldn't have been more surprised if he'd asked me to buy him a tutu. In fact, a tutu would have made more sense because it fits with his sense of humor.
4. And for the MadMax hat trick: he got his hair cut this week. With both of our kids, in exchange for no piercings (except ears) and no tattoos, we have allowed them to do whatever they want with their hair. That doesn't mean that we will restrain our selves from nagging them to get a haircut or teasing them about certain questionable choices, but: hair grows. Do with it what you will. So MM's was just about long enough to put in a pony tail when he finally went and got it cut this week. It's not short, but it's an improvement.
5. We got one of those IRS scam calls. The one that says the IRS is bringing a lawsuit against you, and Please call this number immediately. Which of course sends your stomach into a violent clench of terror, until Dean remembered reading about it in the paper a couple of weeks ago-- the article pointed out that the IRS never calls people, they always start with a letter. (so they'll have a paper trail?) Also, when you listen closely (the sound quality was not good), it wasn't quite grammatically correct and there was a bit of an accent. SCAM. At least we hope so, because we deleted the message and did not call the number.
6. My neck. That's all. It has always been touchy, and continues to be. It's better than it was a month ago, but I still get one of my Things on Friday to whine about it: *whine*
7. Summer Reading List Report: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Hanna Heath, an expert in restoring ancient books/codices, is offered the chance of a lifetime when she is called in to work on a gorgeous ancient Jewish manuscript. She finds tiny clues to the book's history buried in the binding. In alternating chapters, the reader gets to find out the story behind the clues, but Hanna only discovers the barest outline of the book's backstory. The opening section is terrific, and several of the history chapters were beautifully done. It's well worth reading, and the writing at times is lovely.
But I ended up being a bit disappointed by the end--not because it was bad, but because I was hoping that it would go in the direction of having some interesting things to say about the long history of religious conflict and coexistence in Europe, and/or the place of sacred objects and personal devotion in collective spiritual life, or anything that would give a little more depth to the story. But it went in another direction instead--she tried to add some thriller-ish plot twists toward the end that seemed a step down from the rest of the book. Great summer read as long as you don't expect profound thought. So: one down, four to go.
And a freebie, in honor of our ongoing unseasonably hot, dry weather (however I am grateful to report that at least it's not in the 90s anymore): I ran across this golden oldie while looking for songs about summer. This isn't the best recording, but it's the only video I found with THE HAIR and THE GLASSES and the SATIN. End of the spring and here she comes back....
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